It was eighth-grade earth science class, and Mrs. Miller was handing out topics for a research project on ecology. The students were divided into pairs. The topic of oil spills came to Jody and her partner, Amy. This was very interesting, because an oil spill had just occurred off the coast.
That evening Jody’s dad agreed to take the two girls down to the coast on Sunday to get a firsthand look at the oil spill.
“But first, I want you girls to do a little research,” he said.
That Saturday, Jody’s father brought them to the local library, where they spent several hours digging up whatever information they could find on oil spills. They discovered that most types of oil, spilling from tankers or off-shore rigs, float on the water surface. The oil tends to spread out and form “slicks”, which are moved across the water surface by wind, waves, and currents. Oil spilled into the water often reaches the shore. Jody heard that this had already happened with the spill near them. Oil can end up coating rocks, beaches, vegetation, fish, and even many animals, like birds. Worse, despite attempts at cleanups, it can remain for a very long time, permanently affecting the area.
The next day, Jody, Amy, and Jody’s dad got an early start on their drive to the coast. At first, the drive was absolutely beautiful. It was a picture-perfect sunny day with a cool sea breeze coming off the ocean. They drove by rocky crags, boat-filled marinas, and gleaming, sandy beaches. Swimmers, surfers, and sailboats dotted the shoreline in the more populated areas.
Soon, all this changed dramatically. The first thing they detected was the smell of oil coming in with the sea breeze. After several more minutes, they began to see spots of oil on the rocks, grasses, and sand near the shore. Then suddenly, as they came around a bend, they saw stretched out before them, as far as the eye could see, a massive oil slick—black and foreboding. It was as if they had been dropped onto a lifeless planet.
The varied signs of life they had seen just a few miles back had all but disappeared, replaced by the slick crude oil that covered everything within twenty feet of the shoreline. Jody’s father slowed down and pulled off the road at a spot overlooking what had been a vast, sandy beach.
They got out of the car and began walking toward the beach. Then they encountered the most horrible sight of all. The beach was littered with the carcasses of dead dolphins, sea otters, seals, and birds. But not all of them were dead.
“Jody,” Amy gasped. “Look over there!”
About thirty feet in front of them to the left, they could see a baby sea otter, covered from head to tail with black oil, struggling to pull itself across the oil-covered sand. No matter how much it tried, however, it remained in the same spot.
“Daddy,” cried Jody, looking up at her father. “What can we do?” Tears were beginning to stream down her cheeks.
Her father looked down at her with big, sad eyes. “I’m afraid there’s not much we can do to save him, Jo. But maybe there is something we can do to help that one.”
Jody turned around to see what her father was looking at and spotted a small, oil-covered bird struggling in a clump of grass below a rock to their right. Small peeps emanated from its beak.
Jody’s father went back to his car and pulled a cardboard box from the back, along with a small blanket. Then he went over to the struggling bird, carefully lifted it up, and placed it in the box while covering it with the blanket.
“Let’s take him over to the bird sanctuary near our home and see what they can do for him,” Jody’s father said. Jody could see that even her father, usually so tough, was feeling a lot of emotion.
They had planned to stay longer, but even without speaking about it, they all knew they had seen enough. The ride back was a silent one—the silence punctuated only by the occasional peep from the box.
Although the air was once again freshened by the sea breeze, and gorgeous views presented themselves on all sides, the three travelers took no notice of it all. Their minds were dominated by the darkened images they had left behind.
Comments
Taking care of the environment is something that involves everyone. Whether we are talking about the rain forests, recycling, oil spills, or the ozone layer, environmental issues do not affect just a group of people in one area. These issues and how we deal with them affect all of us.
Different words are used to discuss environmental awareness. Conservation means deliberately working to preserve or save things like the air, plants, endangered animals, water, and more. Ecology is the study of the relationship of plants, animals, and people to the environment. Recycling is one way that we can conserve and reuse resources. Stewardship is taking care of the gifts that we have been given; in this case, it refers to the environment, the earth, and its resources.
There are many groups that work to raise awareness of environmental issues. They do research, give speeches, print flyers, and make media presentations to educate people. They are taking their role as stewards of the earth seriously. Some of them work to change laws to better protect the environment.
A number of changes have been made. Laws have been passed to protect our earth. Cars are now made that produce less harmful exhaust. People cannot dump whatever they want down their drains or into rivers and streams. Large areas of land are protected from development in order for people to have parks to relax in and for wildlife to live in. Farmers are finding less harmful ways to fertilize and protect their crops from pests.
There are many things that you can do, too. Walk or ride your bike instead of asking someone to give you a ride. Recycle and reuse as much as you can. Encourage your family and friends to do the same. Use rechargeable batteries. Don’t waste water when you are washing your hands or the dishes. Pick up trash around your home or school. Plant flowers to attract insects, and make a nice garden. Don’t litter. Participate when your community has a cleanup project. Better yet, volunteer to organize one.
One of the best ways that we can increase our knowledge of environmental issues is through education. Reading helps us expand our awareness. Research can help us understand how our choices affect our local community and the larger world.
Did you know that within the last fifteen years, elephants were at risk of becoming endangered because they were slaughtered for their ivory tusks? By refusing to buy items made of ivory, consumers can help to protect the elephant population.
Did you know that trees can, over time, remove excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere? Ten thousand years ago, before agriculture, it is estimated that more than fifteen billion acres worldwide were covered by forest. Now that amount has shrunk to barely ten billion acres. Trees, humans, and animal life are interdependent. If a significant amount of trees are lost due to development, our environment is directly affected.
The choices that we make every day affect the present and the future. When it comes to choices that are made about the environment, we may be affecting the quality of life for future generations. In order to be good stewards of our earth, we need to make choices that are responsible and informed. Even small choices make a difference—how much water, paper, packaging, and chemicals each of us uses. It would benefit our earth if every individual began to make more responsible environmental choices.
Questions for Reflection
What is environmental awareness?
What are the various types of environmental problems afflicting the earth today?
Is there a difference between researching something in a library and seeing it firsthand?
What lessons did Jody and Amy learn through their visit to the oil slick?
What does it mean to be a good steward of the earth?
How can we take better care of our environment?
Are there any things you do that affect the environment in a negative way?
What can you do to change them?
Exercise: “Being a Good Steward”
Think of an environmental project that you could do at your school or in your neighborhood. Write down a list of steps that you would need to take in order to make this project happen. Be as specific as possible.
Reflection Exercise: Environmental Awareness
Make a list of ways that you (or your family) help or harm the environment. Include anything that you can think of, no matter how large or small. Put a mark next to the ones in the “Harm the environment” list that you think you can change—and then start putting the change into practice.
Harm the environment ........................................Help the environment
That evening Jody’s dad agreed to take the two girls down to the coast on Sunday to get a firsthand look at the oil spill.
“But first, I want you girls to do a little research,” he said.
That Saturday, Jody’s father brought them to the local library, where they spent several hours digging up whatever information they could find on oil spills. They discovered that most types of oil, spilling from tankers or off-shore rigs, float on the water surface. The oil tends to spread out and form “slicks”, which are moved across the water surface by wind, waves, and currents. Oil spilled into the water often reaches the shore. Jody heard that this had already happened with the spill near them. Oil can end up coating rocks, beaches, vegetation, fish, and even many animals, like birds. Worse, despite attempts at cleanups, it can remain for a very long time, permanently affecting the area.
The next day, Jody, Amy, and Jody’s dad got an early start on their drive to the coast. At first, the drive was absolutely beautiful. It was a picture-perfect sunny day with a cool sea breeze coming off the ocean. They drove by rocky crags, boat-filled marinas, and gleaming, sandy beaches. Swimmers, surfers, and sailboats dotted the shoreline in the more populated areas.
Soon, all this changed dramatically. The first thing they detected was the smell of oil coming in with the sea breeze. After several more minutes, they began to see spots of oil on the rocks, grasses, and sand near the shore. Then suddenly, as they came around a bend, they saw stretched out before them, as far as the eye could see, a massive oil slick—black and foreboding. It was as if they had been dropped onto a lifeless planet.
The varied signs of life they had seen just a few miles back had all but disappeared, replaced by the slick crude oil that covered everything within twenty feet of the shoreline. Jody’s father slowed down and pulled off the road at a spot overlooking what had been a vast, sandy beach.
They got out of the car and began walking toward the beach. Then they encountered the most horrible sight of all. The beach was littered with the carcasses of dead dolphins, sea otters, seals, and birds. But not all of them were dead.
“Jody,” Amy gasped. “Look over there!”
About thirty feet in front of them to the left, they could see a baby sea otter, covered from head to tail with black oil, struggling to pull itself across the oil-covered sand. No matter how much it tried, however, it remained in the same spot.
“Daddy,” cried Jody, looking up at her father. “What can we do?” Tears were beginning to stream down her cheeks.
Her father looked down at her with big, sad eyes. “I’m afraid there’s not much we can do to save him, Jo. But maybe there is something we can do to help that one.”
Jody turned around to see what her father was looking at and spotted a small, oil-covered bird struggling in a clump of grass below a rock to their right. Small peeps emanated from its beak.
Jody’s father went back to his car and pulled a cardboard box from the back, along with a small blanket. Then he went over to the struggling bird, carefully lifted it up, and placed it in the box while covering it with the blanket.
“Let’s take him over to the bird sanctuary near our home and see what they can do for him,” Jody’s father said. Jody could see that even her father, usually so tough, was feeling a lot of emotion.
They had planned to stay longer, but even without speaking about it, they all knew they had seen enough. The ride back was a silent one—the silence punctuated only by the occasional peep from the box.
Although the air was once again freshened by the sea breeze, and gorgeous views presented themselves on all sides, the three travelers took no notice of it all. Their minds were dominated by the darkened images they had left behind.
Comments
Taking care of the environment is something that involves everyone. Whether we are talking about the rain forests, recycling, oil spills, or the ozone layer, environmental issues do not affect just a group of people in one area. These issues and how we deal with them affect all of us.
Different words are used to discuss environmental awareness. Conservation means deliberately working to preserve or save things like the air, plants, endangered animals, water, and more. Ecology is the study of the relationship of plants, animals, and people to the environment. Recycling is one way that we can conserve and reuse resources. Stewardship is taking care of the gifts that we have been given; in this case, it refers to the environment, the earth, and its resources.
There are many groups that work to raise awareness of environmental issues. They do research, give speeches, print flyers, and make media presentations to educate people. They are taking their role as stewards of the earth seriously. Some of them work to change laws to better protect the environment.
A number of changes have been made. Laws have been passed to protect our earth. Cars are now made that produce less harmful exhaust. People cannot dump whatever they want down their drains or into rivers and streams. Large areas of land are protected from development in order for people to have parks to relax in and for wildlife to live in. Farmers are finding less harmful ways to fertilize and protect their crops from pests.
There are many things that you can do, too. Walk or ride your bike instead of asking someone to give you a ride. Recycle and reuse as much as you can. Encourage your family and friends to do the same. Use rechargeable batteries. Don’t waste water when you are washing your hands or the dishes. Pick up trash around your home or school. Plant flowers to attract insects, and make a nice garden. Don’t litter. Participate when your community has a cleanup project. Better yet, volunteer to organize one.
One of the best ways that we can increase our knowledge of environmental issues is through education. Reading helps us expand our awareness. Research can help us understand how our choices affect our local community and the larger world.
Did you know that within the last fifteen years, elephants were at risk of becoming endangered because they were slaughtered for their ivory tusks? By refusing to buy items made of ivory, consumers can help to protect the elephant population.
Did you know that trees can, over time, remove excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere? Ten thousand years ago, before agriculture, it is estimated that more than fifteen billion acres worldwide were covered by forest. Now that amount has shrunk to barely ten billion acres. Trees, humans, and animal life are interdependent. If a significant amount of trees are lost due to development, our environment is directly affected.
The choices that we make every day affect the present and the future. When it comes to choices that are made about the environment, we may be affecting the quality of life for future generations. In order to be good stewards of our earth, we need to make choices that are responsible and informed. Even small choices make a difference—how much water, paper, packaging, and chemicals each of us uses. It would benefit our earth if every individual began to make more responsible environmental choices.
Questions for Reflection
Exercise: “Being a Good Steward”
Think of an environmental project that you could do at your school or in your neighborhood. Write down a list of steps that you would need to take in order to make this project happen. Be as specific as possible.
Reflection Exercise: Environmental Awareness
Make a list of ways that you (or your family) help or harm the environment. Include anything that you can think of, no matter how large or small. Put a mark next to the ones in the “Harm the environment” list that you think you can change—and then start putting the change into practice.
Harm the environment ........................................Help the environment